Executives from ESPN Digital Media, The Wall Street Journal Digital Network Assume 2012 Executive Officer Positions at the Online Publishers Association

NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- On the heels of the Online Publishers Association (OPA) 10-year anniversary and 10th Annual OPA Summit, the organization today announced its new Executive Officers for 2012. John Kosner, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Digital and Print Media at ESPN, has been named Chairman; Alisa Bowen, General Manager of The Wall Street Journal Digital Network, has been appointed Vice Chairman; Peter Naylor, Executive Vice President, Digital Media Sales of NBC Universal, will remain Treasurer; and Jim Spanfeller, President and CEO of The Spanfeller Media Group, will remain Secretary. The OPA, which was established in 2001 to serve as the voice of original, branded content providers, is also announcing that an additional eight publishers have become members of the organization.

"As we celebrate a significant milestone of serving high-quality online publishers for ten years, we are thrilled to announce that a new suite of seasoned executives have assumed officer positions to help the OPA continue to expand the role that online publishers play in the media and advertising market," said Pam Horan, President of the OPA. "When we reflect back on the past ten years, including our work to demonstrate the value of online in the industry's infancy to introducing the OPA Ad Units which offered marketers innovative and compelling ways to deliver their brand messages online, we are encouraged by the exciting opportunities that lie ahead for online publishers as we begin our second decade."

The OPA was founded on the heels of the Dot Com bust in 2001 with the mission of bringing together publishers who were investing in the creation of original content online.  The organization started with 12 founding online publishers and has since grown to 60 members. As the OPA enters its next decade of service, the new Executive Officers will help evolve the agenda for the organization in support of the mission of serving a dedicated community of online content creators.

"I am looking forward to taking on this role as Chairman at such a transformational time for media," said Kosner. "The 10th Annual OPA Summit will be a fantastic event that delivers invaluable content and access to influential advertising agencies, lawmakers, technologists and other publishers."

In his role as Chairman, Kosner will lead the OPA in its effort to elevate the value of the online content environment, its commitment to transparency and data privacy for the protection of consumers online and its promotion of best practices associated with evolving business models.

OPA Member companies, all of which are providers of high quality, premium online content, have a combined, unduplicated reach of 221.2 million unique visitors or 100% reach of the U.S. online population and invest over $750 million in the production and creation of original online content annually.  They include a great diversity of content, with the leading publishers of general and political news, sports and entertainment information, product reviews, travel information, business and financial news and more. The eight newest members joining the OPA include:

• A.H. Belo Corporation owns and operates four daily newspapers including The Dallas Morning News, The Providence Journal, The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, CA) and The Denton Record-Chronicle. The company also owns and manages the various websites associated with these properties and other niche products.
• The Associated Press is an independent global news organization, delivering news and content in all formats to every platform. It is estimated that half the world's population sees news from AP on any given day.
• Cox Media Group is an integrated broadcasting, publishing, direct marketing and digital media company providing digital services and operating websites for broadcast television stations, radio stations, daily newspapers and more than a dozen non-daily publications.
• Financial Times is one of the world's leading business news and information organizations that provides a range of essential services to the growing audience of international business people.
• Future US is a leading publisher of digital media properties and special interest publications. With market-leading sites and titles in the Games, Music, Technology, and men's and women's special-interest markets, Future's targeted properties serve a young, active, affluent and highly influential audience.
• NBC News is a leading source of global news and information. The network's portfolio includes platforms such as NBC Latino, EducationNation.com and TheGrio.com, a video-centric news community devoted to the African-American audience as well as others in development. NBC News is also the parent company of MSNBC.com along with its joint venture partner, Microsoft.
• Scripps Networks Interactive delivers home, food and lifestyle content across multiple media platforms.
• Spanfeller Media Group is a digital media company focused on content creation, packaging, customer acquisition, and advertising revenue generation. The first site is The Daily Meal with additional sites planned in the near future.

About the OPA

Founded in June 2001, the Online Publishers Association is an industry trade organization whose mission is to advance the interests of high-quality online publishers before the advertising community, the press, the government and the public. Members of OPA represent the standards in Internet publishing with respect to editorial quality and integrity, credibility and accountability. OPA's membership has an unduplicated audience of 221.2 million unique visitors or 100% reach of the U.S. online population (comScore Media Metrix, January 2012). For more information, visit www.online-publishers.org.

Media Contact:
Emily Peck
Kwittken & Company
646.747.7149
[email protected]

SOURCE Online Publishers Association